Segment
Claims
Pawnshop founder neither employed nor self-employed at time of accident: arbitrator
June 24, 2008 by Canadian UnderwriterA man who claimed to be in the process of establishing a pawnshop when he was injured in a 1999 auto accident is not entitled to receive income replacement benefits or non-earner benefits, an Ontario arbitrator has found.Joseph Richard Ovila…
What’s New: In Brief (June 24, 2008)
June 24, 2008 by Canadian UnderwriterAon eSolutions has released a new environmental module as part of RiskConsole, its browser-based risk management information system (RMIS).Developed in conjunction with Aon Environmental Services Group, the module provides organizations with the ability to effectively manage the multi-faceted environmental due…
Insurers prepare for claims related to tomato contamination
June 19, 2008 by Canadian UnderwriterInsurers globally are preparing for business interruption claims related to the recent salmonella outbreak that has affected at least 228 people in the United States.As a result of a warning issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a…
What’s New: In Brief (June 19, 2008)
June 19, 2008 by Canadian UnderwriterLiquidation World Inc. has imported and sold children’s restraint systems and booster seats from the United States that did not comply with the applicable Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, a Transport Canada (TC) bulleting warns.Approximately 145 of the units were…
What’s New: In Brief (June 18, 2008)
June 18, 2008 by Canadian UnderwriterAfter fires in Nova Scotia forced the evacuation of 5,000 residents, the Insurance Bureau of Canada is reminding those affected to check their policies. A brush fire, which started in Porters Lake just east of Halifax on Friday, forced 5,000…
Complexity of emerging risks outstripping cat models’ capacity to forecast losses
June 17, 2008 by Canadian UnderwriterTraditional modelling techniques will not work for emerging risks, Oxford University researcher Peter Taylor told delegates at a seminar in London, England, entitled “Catastrophe Modelling from a European Perspective.”The Reinsurance Association of America and the International Underwriting Association (IUA) of…
MPI seeks 1% overall reduction in rates
June 16, 2008 by Canadian UnderwriterManitoba Public Insurance (MPI) is seeking a 1% overall reduction in Autopac rates for 2009-10, based in part on declining auto theft rates. In its application filed with the Public Utilities Board, MPI said the rate decrease is possible because…
Alberta decision projected to increase bodily injury claims costs by 29%
June 12, 2008 by Canadian UnderwriterAn actuarial report estimates bodily injury claims costs are expected to increase 29% implying an estimated 10.8% increase in the basic auto insurance premium following a decision in which the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench eliminated the province’s Cdn$4,000 cap…
What’s New: In Brief (June 11, 2008)
June 11, 2008 by Canadian UnderwriterVale National Training Centers Inc. has launched an online extension to its classroom-based proficiency development curriculum for claim professionals.The training center has added roughly 500 distance-learning modules to its course offerings. These are available immediately through a standard Web browser,…
Multiple crane accidents fail to raise red flags for insurers
June 10, 2008 by Canadian UnderwriterAt least nine people have been killed and 11 have been injured after construction cranes collapsed, but it is not expected to impact policies or send construction insurance rates soaring, reports Lloyd’s.With the booming construction industry, cranes are not an…
Insurer’s expert report not mere “opinion,” Manitoba Appeal Court rules
June 9, 2008 by Canadian UnderwriterInsurers’ expert reports count as “evidence” in a court of law in the same way that plaintiffs’ expert reports do, the Manitoba Court of Appeal has ruled.In Missler v. Manitoba Public Insurance Corporation (MPI), the Court of Appeal considered a…
Insurer entitled to reasonably protect interests in no-fault benefits case
June 6, 2008 by Canadian UnderwriterNew Brunswick’s Court of Appeal has upheld the notion that insurers can reasonably protect their own interests in a no-fault case, even if those interests are sometimes at odds with the interests of the insured.In Veno v. United General Insurance…